Wednesday, September 23, 2015

ITU World Triathlon Championship - Open Sprint

RACE REPORT
September 19, 2014

RESULTS
1:24:25
2 / 12 (age group) = Top 8%
92 / 317 (female) = Top 29%



WEATHER
60oF, 65% humidity, 22 mph winds (calmed to 5 mph during race)

DATA
Note:  Same run and swim course in 2014 and 2015 / Transitions area and bike course were different.


PLACE
SWIM
T1
BIKE
T2
RUN
OVERALL

WEATHER
PACE OVERALL
PLACE
GENDER
PLACE
DIV
SWIM
PACE (Garmin / 100m) *
BIKE
MPH
(Time calculation)
RUN
PACE
(garmin)
2015
60o
65% humid
22 wind
300 / 856
35%
78 / 317
24%
2 / 12
8%
16:16
78 / 217
24%
females
2:03
6:55
89  / 317
28%
females

34:00
26 / 317
8%
females 

21.93
1.57
78 / 317
25%
females
28:28
204 / 317
64%

9:26

1:27:34
2014
89o
78% humid
0 wind
603 / 759
80%
249 / 342
72%
10  / 16
39%
18:03
164 / 342
48%
females
2:24
6:36
212 / 342
62%
females
37:47
163 / 342
48%
females
19:74
5:10
219 / 342
64%
females
46:48
320 / 342
94%
females
13:58
1:54.21
DIFFERENCE

48%

24%

34%
40%

39%
30%

26:47
* Just for portion of the swim with a cadence

World Championship – Projected Finish (if I had been on Team USA this year)

One of the reasons I wanted to enter this Open Sprint race was to compare my finish time to those of the women who competed in the World Championship Sprint race.

Carol Hassell came in first in both the AG Sprint World Championship (representing the USA) and my AG Open Sprint race.  She posted virtually the same times for the swim and the run.  She explained that her overall time in the Open was slower because 1) the bike was more technical in the Open, and 2) transition was farther away from the swim exit in the Open.  She was 3:09 faster in the World Championship.

If I had raced in the World Championship as part of Team USA and had also been 3:09 faster, I would have 1:24:25 which would have given me a 7th place finish in the 2015 World Championship.  Wow.  That’s crazy.  While I want my goals to be process based, rather than outcome based.  It is nice to see what is in the realm of possibilities if I work hard in the coming year.  That means that I must a) turn all the workout boxes green, b) have sound nutrition, and c) get rest between workouts, and d) maintain my equipment.  The reward might be very nice!


2015 World Championship Results – Sprint Distance (with my projected finish inserted)

Pl.AC
Name
Time
Swim
Trans 1
Bike
Trans 2
Run
1
Hassell, Carol (USA)
01:20:59
00:13:53
00:06:03
00:31:53
00:03:18
00:25:54
2
Thomas, Barbara (USA)
01:22:17
00:14:21
00:05:15
00:35:11
00:03:14
00:24:18
3
McKeachie, Karen (USA)
01:23:05
00:14:06
00:04:44
00:33:01
00:03:31
00:27:44
4
Kludt, Teresa (USA)
01:23:16
00:16:13
00:04:30
00:33:12
00:03:32
00:25:51
5
Jones-Skinner, Janice (CAN)
01:23:26
00:16:51
00:04:06
00:34:39
00:03:02
00:24:50
6
Knowles, Jennifer (CAN)
01:24:20
00:18:09
00:04:27
00:32:23
00:03:17
00:26:06
7
SUE REYNOLDS (USA)
01:24:25
00:16:16 *

00:34:00 **

00:28:28 *
8
Mulcrone, Mary (USA)
01:24:56
00:17:05
00:04:33
00:36:04
00:03:32
00:23:44
9
Taplin, Janet (GBR)
01:26:00
00:16:29
00:04:01
00:34:52
00:03:09
00:27:32
10
Henderson, Betsy (USA)
01:26:12
00:16:55
00:05:01
00:33:44
00:03:53
00:26:40
11
Lewis, Joanna (GBR)
01:26:23
00:16:02
00:04:38
00:35:28
00:03:25
00:26:52
12
Griffin, Joan (IRL)
01:26:43
00:16:11
00:05:01
00:34:40
00:03:41
00:27:13

* My 2015 ITU World Champion (open race) times - same course  
* My 2015 ITU World Champion (open race) times – different course **



On the other hand, there are 49 women in my age group who are ranked higher than me in the USAT National Rankings.  If they all decide to race at Clermont, I will have little chance of making Team USA.  That’s why goals always have to related to process (which we can control) rather than outcome (which we cannot control). 

ITU DISORGANIZATION
Organizing operations for 12 separate triathlons at one venue over a 4 day period with limited staff must be a challenge.  That said, there were a ton of glitches.  Here are some that impacted me:

1.     Thursday morning:  The packet pick-up for the open races was cancelled.  Unfortunately, there was no notice given on the ITU website.  I unnecessarily walked 3 miles (round trip). *

2.     Thursday evening:  The race briefing was also cancelled, again with no notice on the ITU website.  Result:  I unnecessary walked an additional 3 miles (six miles total that day).*

Note:  * I arrived in Chicago a day early so I could have a rest day on Friday.  With these glitches, I ended up having to do both packet pick-up and the race briefing on Friday.  Not only did I not have a complete rest day, but I also paid for an additional night of lodging and used an extra vacation day at work.

3.     Friday morning:  Walked 3 miles (round trip) to pick up my packet and attend the briefing.  At packet pick-up my name and number were not on the posted sheets.  I had to stand in the help line for 30 minutes to get a number which made me late to the briefing.

4.     Incorrect bike map:  During the race briefing, they announced that traffic on the bike route would be going different directions than indicated on the map because two parts of the route actually crossed each other – like figure eight racing!  While they changed the bike route, nothing about the change was posted on the website.  During briefing, they went over the changes once quickly.  When I asked for them to repeat the changes, they said they didn’t have time to go over it again.

5.     Transition location change:  Transition was changed sometime overnight prior to the race with no notification on the ITU website.  The traffic pattern through transition was explained to some people one-to-one and not at all to others.  No lights were available for transition.  One bike rack was missing and 16 people didn’t have a place to rack their bikes.

My coach instructed me:  No emotional highs or lows.  However, after arriving a day early in Chicago so I could have a rest day on Friday, it was difficult not to be upset.  I understood that with an event this size and with the inclement weather, ITU would need to change things on the fly.  But, it was hard to understand why ITU didn’t post information about the changes in real time on their website.


6.  One more glitch occurred after the race.  I discovered that the distances on my finisher's medal (which clearly says, "Open Sprint Distance") are wrong!  You have to laugh.  Slowtwitch mentioned this in his weekly newsletter.  Ha.










RACE DAY MORNING:

Given all the mess-ups during the week, I decided to get to transition in plenty of time to set up and handle anything unexpected that came up.  I went to bed at 7:00 pm, set the alarm for 3:00 am, and was out the door at 4:15 am.  It was a good thing because when we got to transition, there was nothing there!  Finally, someone told us it was a block away!  I’m assuming they moved it because the baseball diamond where it was supposed to be was saturated.  The new location was on a tennis court.

Unfortunately, the tennis court lights were not on so everyone had to set up in the dark.  Luckily, I anticipated this situation and brought a head lantern so I could see.  I found the same nice official who helped me in Milwaukee and asked if I could put neon orange tape on my rack number and he said yes. 
The bike exit and bike entrance were in the same location.  That location was as far as you could get from my rack position.  People were not required to push their bike around the outside of the racks to make the distance the same for all racers.  So those farthest away from the bike in/out had to push their bikes considerably farther in transition than others.  The swim-in and run-out were in the same location, but they did make everyone run around the outside of the racks for that.  The worst thing was that there were about 16 people whose numbers were not listed on any of the racks.  They had no where to rack their bikes.  I felt sorry for them.

I finished setting up transition on schedule and walked to the swim start where I did 10 minutes of dynamic warm-up and a 10 minute run with pick-ups.  The pick-ups in my run were slower than I thought they would be (first one was in the 8:00’s!) and I tried not to worry that I was having an off day.

The 22 mph wind was pushing the buoys around and the race start was postponed for 30 minutes.  It was freezing as we waited for the start.  My hands were shaking literally uncontrollably.

Changes for next time:  I’d like to experiment with eating an additional slice of bread (so I can make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and omit the banana.  Breakfast would then be a PBJ sandwich, yogurt and Gatorade.  Since I am eating 3 hours prior to racing, I’d also like to experiment with eating a gel 1 hour prior to race, with a second gel 15 minutes prior to race.  No banana might help with me having intestinal issues during the run.


SWIM
2nd in AG
78 / 317 (females) = Top 35%

Do I look a little cold? 
 
Data:
2:03 / 100 m – Garmin  (for the portion where there was cadence)
2:10 / 100 m – Official
Ave Cadence = 34

Start:
My wave included 109 women ages 50+.  I started in the front middle.  The wind was pushing us forward as we waited for the start, and the starter made us come back.  Before we came back, I think I was 5 feet in front of everyone.  Ha!  I started in a horizontal position, kicking and punching water to get my HR up.  At the gun, I just sprinted for 50 meters or so.  All of sudden, I thought, “Oh!  I better breathe!”  One woman passed me right away and I drafted behind her for about a minute but either I was swimming sideways and got out of the draft or she was just going too fast, but I lost her.  I did tap her feet a few times which was a new experience.

Main Swim:
I was in traffic the entire way and didn’t get a chance to really work on technique.  Not only was I in traffic from my wave, but I caught up with the stragglers from the wave in front of me.  I was just trying to keep my head down and pull hard without stopping my hands.  Other than that, there was just so much going on, it was hard to focus on anything.  I just hoped that my form was somewhat instinctive.   

The wind was 22 mph and the waves were extremely high.  Later in the day, the floating dock that we started on blew away from the shore!  The guys in the men’s grand finals race had to swim out to the dock before they could start their race – and since that meant the ramp was no longer next to the shore, they had to change the route of the swim so they could exit where I did earlier in the day rather than at Buckingham Fountain where their T2 transition was.  Crazy!

For most of our swim, we were behind a wave break, but for the last 250 meters or so, there was no protection from the waves.  Public beaches nearby were closed due to the high waves and rip tides.  One time, I got a wave in the mouth three breaths in a row and ended up lifting my head sky high on the fourth attempt to make sure I got air. 

I pushed the swim like I did in Greensburg (hard) and my arm muscles hurt again during the swim – not the lactose kind of hurt but more strained muscle hurting.  One of the things that I am learning, I think, is that I can push the swim harder than I thought I could.  I think that may be the next learning curve – discovering that I can push harder than I thought and not get too tired prior to the finish.

Sighting:
The wind also made it difficult to see the buoys.  I tried to time it so I was sighting at the top of a wave.  The swim was along the shoreline and there were only two relative small orange buoys at the swim exit (750 meters away).  I could sight off the shore, but it was hard to determine how far away from the shore I was.  Even prior to the start, I could barely make out the buoys 750 meters away.  After a while, I could see the two orange buoys and swam toward them, only to find out they were the orange life jackets of two men sitting in a row boat.  Ha!  And then another time, I thought I was sighting an orange buoy but then found out it was the orange swim cap of someone in the wave in front of me.  Oh brother!

Exit:
I was very happy that I studied the swim exit the day before.  After watching TONS of people fall on the swim exit, I made a plan to put my hands down on the second submerged step, and then stand on the bottom submerged step.  That worked like a charm and I passed several people who struggled and fell getting out of the water.

T1
2nd in age group
89 / 317 (females) = Top 28%

T1 was a 0.68 mile run on bare concrete.  I ran pretty fast.  I would guess 9:45 to 10:00.  It was painful on my heals so I ran on my tip toes.  That made my calves cramp.  I was a little worried my calves would hurt in the run later, but they didn’t.  Only a couple of people passed me, unlike last year when zillions passed me.  And I passed a several stragglers from the wave in front of mine.

I ran with my swim cap on and googles pushed up for quite a while.  I didn’t see any sense in carrying them and since it was cool out.  I was not overheating.

I was supposed to walk the last 10 feet of the run to T1 and take deep breaths, but I forgot.

Wetsuit came off nicely while putting on my helmet and glasses.  My helmet knocked my glasses out of place again as I put it on.  I need to check into that.  And again, I had trouble clasping the chin strap.  Shoes on and go.

ITU had people from another race after my race setting up their transition while we were in T1.  And . . . instead of putting the people in that race all in the same racks, they were dispersed among everyone.  So, as I was running out with my bike, all of these people were in the way.  I did not slow down but just started screaming, “Excuse me!!” as I ran down the row at full T1 speed with my bike.

I ran well past the bike mount sign (past a person who was clipping in), mounted, and took off.  No issues.

BIKE
2nd in Age Group
26 / 317 (females) = Top 8%






Course

This bike course was tons of fun.  It started out on Columbus Drive going northbound along Lake Michigan with lots of spectators.  Then, after 1.3 miles, it went underground at Lower Wacker Drive (where they filmed Batman).  It was like riding through a parking garage with lots of cement pillars and cement walls at the edge of the road.  Since it was underground, I thought it would be cool down there, but it was extremely hot and muggy.  And it smelled like garbage!  Almost all of the course was straight and flat.  There were two turn-arounds and one section where there were four right hand turns all about 100 feet from each other.  Those turns took us from Lower Wacker to the private bus roads that were below ground but with sky overhead.  There were a few decents and climbs as the bus road went below other roads. 

During the 5 miles that we were underground on Lower Wacker, my Garmin Edge did not pick up satellite reception so I had no idea what my speed was.  And it was so dark down there that I could read my cadence or watts data.  For those miles, I totally relied on feel.  The below ground level bus roads also had moments when I lost satellite connection.

During the briefing, ITU warned that it would be difficult to see when we transitioned from sunlight to darkness on Lower Wacker.  Luckily, I always wear clear glasses and had no problem seeing.  They also warned that there was rough pavement and potholes on Lower Wacker that would be marked.  The potholes were marked, but only with faint yellow circles.  It looked like the yellow was painted weeks ago and had mostly warn off.  There were no arrows on the road indicating that a hole was coming.  Crazy.  The worst was a 10-inch manhole cover that was simply MISSING!  Anyone who hit that would probably have flipped.  I couldn’t believe that bottomless hole only had a warn-away yellow circle around it.


Data:

MPH:    21.93 mph (distance / finish time calculation)
Watts:  158
HR:        136

Mile 1
Mile 2
Miles 2 – 11.5
Last Half Mile
TARGET
155 Watts
94 Cadence
TARGET
165 Watts
94 Cadence
TARGET
172 Watts
92 Cadence
TARGET
160 Watts
96 Cadence
ACTUAL

Data Duration:  1 mile

148 Watts
93 Cadence
132 HR
18.1 mph
ACTUAL

Data Duration:  0.35 mi

167 Watts
95 Cadence
133 HR
18.2 mph
ACTUAL

Data Duration:  Since my mileage and speed was spotty for many points of this section, I only have data for portions of this section.

Duration
1.7 mi
0.6 mi
1.0 mi
0.4 mi
Watts
162
173
16
171
Cad
97
100
96
94
HR
137
137
137
138
mph
22.6
23.6
19.7
22.1


ACTUAL

Duration:  0.5 mi

104  Watts
87  Cadence
138  HR
19.1 mph

Mount:  No problem.

Targeted Watts (Top of z4 = 172):  I was supposed to be watching my watts closely with goal of maintaining 172 throughout, but with all the bike traffic, that was hard to do.  I did check from time to time and found that my watts were usually around 168.  At that point, I’d push a little harder.  I tried to get really familiar with what my legs felt like at 172 so I could do that without checking the computer.  That helped a bit.  Sometimes, however, I’d find that my watts were above 180!  My heartrate spent a lot of time at 138 (just below the 140 limit).

Drafting:  Lots of bike traffic on the course.  I passed a ton of people.  Happily, only a few passed me.  When they did, I tried to accelerate and pick up a draft for a few seconds to practice for Clermont.  I only stayed in draft position for about 10 seconds and didn’t get too close (maybe 5 feet) because I didn’t want to get a penalty. 

Standing:  Coming out of the turns, I stood for about 4 pedal rotations.  It occurs to me that 1) I have absolutely no idea what gear to be in, and 2) I am unable to switch gears quickly.

Mile 11.5 – 12.4:  Since I was unable to drive the route and since the mileage on my Edge was messed up, I didn’t have a good sense of where 11.5 miles was.  I was surprised when there were only two blocks left and I had not yet started to decrease my watts and increase my cadence.

Dismount:  I allowed one city block to get out of my shoes and that was enough time.  My right foot slide off the top of my shoe at one point.  I was so, so relieved that it did not go into the spokes.

Cadence:  I am surprised that my cadence was so high.  For some sections, my average cadence was 99.  During the ride, I was aware that my cadence was high, but when I’d shift, my sense was that it got incredibly harder and my cadence was way too low.  At one point however, I noticed that what felt like a cadence that was too low was actually 90.  Need to learn if I want a) an easier gear with higher cadence (99), or b) harder gear with lower cadence (90).

Bike Results:  At first, I could not believe my speed.  I thought that the course might have been short.  How could I do 21.93 mph?  But I now think 21.93 mph is reasonable.  1) I was 26 out of 317 women (top 8%).  Given that almost all of those women were much younger than me, I must have been going pretty fast.  2) In the straight sections that Garmin did record, I averaged 23.4 mph.  The five underground miles that Garmin didn’t record were also straight.  3)  My bike split at Worlds on a totally flat course was 34:00.  My bike split at Nationals with three very long, 4% climbs and a few moderate climbs was 38.39.  Is it reasonable to think that I would be 5:21 faster at Worlds?  Given how much I had to slow down for those long, steep climbs, I think so.  I think 22-ish mph on a flat course with lots of other bikes to push me is conceivable.

T2
4 / 12 (age group)
78 / 317 (females) = Top 25%

Short run into transition.   However, once again, I had to run with my bike all the way through transition to the back where I was racked.  Others only had to run 10 feet with their bikes.

When I got to my transition spot, I saw that there were three bikes already on my rack so I thought I was fourth.  I knew the odds of me catching someone on the run were slim.  Fourth wasn’t so bad. 

I had a little trouble getting one of my shoes on.  Told myself to stay calm, slowed down, and retried. 

RUN
4 / 12 (age group)
204 / 317 (females) = Top 64%

FINISH CHUTE:
I'm getting a little air, coach!  And no, I am not running with my eyes closed!  I was blinking!  

 
Data:
9:10 pace – Official  (Note:  Based on the last 28:28 min on Garmin, the course was only 3.01 miles. This pace is inaccurate)
9:26 pace – Garmin

Miles
TARGET
ACTUAL
Course Notes
Pace
HR
Cadence
0.00 – 0.33
9:30 – 10:00
10:08
139
102
This section includes a moderately steep downhill and uphill as the trail went under a road.
0.33 – 0.66
Build to 155 HR
9:41
143
106
Very strong head wind.
0.66 – 2.5
155 HR
9:29
148
106

2.5 – 3.0
Everything I have
8:35
155
103
Headwind now gone


Mile 0 – 0.33
As I was running out of transition, I thought to myself that I was running pretty fast.  I remember thinking that my mindset was go-go-go.  My HR was only 140 (z2) so I thought I was ok.  My watch showed 9:45 at 45 seconds.  This section included one downhill and climb as we ran under a road.  My pace dropped a little on the climb, but I felt very, very strong.

Mile 0.33 – 0.66+
At three minutes, I knew I was supposed to start increasing my HR to 155, but it just didn’t feel “right.”  Maybe because of the climb I just finished.  Maybe it was the strong head-wind.  My HR was only 144 (mid z3) and my pace was only 9:50.  Based on how I felt, it seemed like I should have a higher HR and faster pace.  I pushed a little bit, but it seemed like something that I could not sustain, so I slowed back down.   I now see that I went to 9:30 and I pulled back to 9:50.  Maybe I was trying to speed up too quickly.

Mile 1 – 2
When I reached the turnaround at one mile, I was not happy with myself.  My HR was only 145 and my pace was only 9:50.  I told myself to listen to science rather than my body.  Science said that I could do 155 or 9:20-9:30 for an hour.  I made myself speed up.  I also decided not to pay attention to my HR since it was cool out and just focus on pace.

I thought about my brother’s advice about “chunking up” a race.  I told myself, “Ok.  Mile 1 finished.  Now move on to mile 2.  Implement the plan for mile 2.”  A little while later, things just felt a lot easier.  I don’t know if it was chunking up the race, having the wind die down, my body had somehow adjusting to the run, or I was just getting a second wind.  But, it was definitely easier.  It might have also been that I was passing a few people and the people who were passing me were not flying by.  I could actually run with them for a little bit.  I felt like I was sucked in behind them – not like a draft, more like their spirit was just pulling me along.  I started focusing on good form and noticed again that when my hands are up, my pace increases.

I reminded myself that there were a million reasons that three bikes might have been racked when I came into T2.   Maybe some of the 55-59 year olds were racked with our bikes.  “You are still racing for podium,” I told myself. 

The first loop around Buckingham Fountain was uneventful – no searing heat off the granite pavers like last year.

Mile 2 – 2.5

At the second turn-around, I told myself, “Ok.  Mile 2 finished.  Now move on to mile 3.”  I was running north again, but the wind was a non-issue this time.  I notice that I sped up as I past Buckingham Fountain for the third time.  I think that must have been a psychological pull from all the people lining the course (several people deep) who were cheering.

Somewhere in this portion, I had to go to the bathroom.  Why do I have intestinal issues during the second half of the runs?  I didn’t have to “go” prior to the race.  I guess running kind of helps things move along.  Ha!

Mile 2.5 – 3.1

After I rounded the last turnaround, I didn’t think I’d have enough energy to speed up to the end.  I started thinking about where I did think I could increase my pace if not at mile 2.5.  But when I checked my watch, I found that I had already sped up and was running at 9:10.  No wonder I didn’t think I could speed up!  How did that happen?  I tried to hold that effort and started playing my mind game where I imagine a sports announcer describing my race.  “Sue Reynolds looks strong!  Not a bit of tiredness on her face.  Great form!  No fatigue in those legs.  Sue is feeling really good right now.  She is going to do this!”

I think it is very interesting to note that while my pace when up considerably in this section, my cadence went down from 105-ish to 100-ish and my HR seemed to cap at 155.  There are two ways to increase speed.  1) increase cadence, or 2) increase stride.    There has to be lessons in this data.  What are they?


SPLIT
CADENCE
STRIDE
PACE
HR
0 – 0.5
206
0.78
10:00
140
0.5 – 1.0
214
0.77
9:44
144
1.0 – 1.5
211
0.82
9:18
148
1.5 – 2.0
211
0.80
9:32
149
2.0 – 2.5
210
0.81
9:22
152
2.5 – 3.0
206
0.87
9:00
154
3.0 – 3.1
205
1.04
7:26
156

My pace for the last half mile was 8:46.  At Nationals, it was 9:06. 

Finish

When I turned entered Buckingham Fountain for the last 0.2 miles, I turned on the gas.  I averaged 8:34 for those 320 meters - better than the 8:50 that I did at Nationals for the last 0.2 miles.

I tried to have good form as I came down the finish chute – lean, head up, hands up.  But to run faster, I take a bigger stride which gives me a heal strike, but does seem to make me faster.  My face looked like I was dying.  Probably because I was!  I crossed the finish line at a 7:50 pace and 156 heart rate.

I put my hands on my knees after the finish line and of course, a million people converged on me to see if I wanted to go to the medical tent.  I just don’t know how anyone can sprint the finish chute and not have to rest on their knees at the end.

POST RACE

After the race, I met Brian as I came out of the area where they have drinks and food for finishers.  The race results were “real time” online so I could check my finish time and place.  I was second!  I screamed to Brian, “I AM SECOND!!!”  Then I asked Brian to check because I was sure I wasn’t reading it right.  He confirmed that I was second!!!!

I couldn’t wait to tell my coach that I would be on the podium.  He was racing in a local event that morning so I made a short video and sent it to him.  I was so excited that I could barely breathe!  Every time I replay the video, I laugh.  I was SOOOOO happy!



I was just a little excited!  :-)